Baltimore Orioles: Ten Most Haunting Contracts In Franchise History

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 11: Ubaldo Jimenez #31 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 11, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Ubaldo Jimenez- 4 year/$50 million

This one continues to haunt Orioles fans a little bit more, largely due to that emotional 2016 Wild Card game in Toronto. Jimenez should not have been in the game in the first place, but the $50 million man was given the ball and ultimately crumbled.

Jimenez was a fantastic pitcher in his six seasons with the Colorado Rockies, going 56-45 with a 3.66 ERA and allowing just 55 home runs in 851 innings. Impressive for calling the launching pad of Coors Field home.

Jimenez would be traded to Cleveland during the 2011 season, where he struggled to keep the ball in the yard, saw his walk rate take a significant jump, and worked an ERA over 5.00 through his first 42 starts. Looking to impress in a contract season, Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and a career-high 9.6 K/9 IP mark in 2013, catching the eye of the Baltimore Orioles.

Despite turning 30 and finding it difficult to replicate his success from his time in Colorado, the Orioles dished out $50 million over four years to the righty out of the Dominican Republic. He would go 32-42 with a 5.22 ERA and 1.50 WHIP as an Oriole. According to Baseball Reference, Jimenez was worth a minuscule 0.5 WAR through four seasons.

He’s been out of professional baseball in the US since 2017 and is now pitching in the Dominican winter league at 35 years of age.

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